Ball cock



Dec. 8, 1942. T. E. MUELLER ETAL 2,304,

BALL COCK Filed March 10, 1939 Patented Dec. 8, 1942 2,304,272 BALL COCK Theodore E. Mueller and Robert C. Boyd, Louisville, Ky., assignors to American Radiator & Standard Sanitary Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application March 10, 1939, Serial No. 260,989

6 Claims.

The present invention relates to a ball cock for controlling the supply of water to the flush tank of a closet bowl, and more particularly to a ball cock structure which is substantially noiseless in operation and wherein the refilling of such tank occurs above the water level therein through a stream regulator. V g

Ball cocks as previously constructed and employed have been objectionable on the ground that they were noisy. This is necessarily even more true in connection with a type of ball cock which refills the tank in which it is located from a point above the water level in that tank than it is of the type wherein a so-called hush tube is utilized to discharge water below the water level in such tank. Some attempts have been made in connection with the latter type of ball cock to render the same quiet, or at least less noisy, and while much improvement has resulted no specific attention has been given in this direction to the former type which presents a more difficultproblem, as is well appreciated by those versed in this art. The discharge of water above the level in the tank also gives rise to additional water control problems, the solution of which has not heretofore been apparent or discovered.

It is, accordingly, an object of our present invention to provide a ball cock of the type wherein the tank in which the ball cock is located is re filled from a point above the level of water therein from which objectionable noises have been eliminated and other fiow control problems obvia ed.

Another object of our invention resides in providing asilencing feature for ball cocks of the type herein involved and, in addition, the discharge of water to the tank through a special shed head containing a flow regulating device.

A further object of the invention resides in providing a ball cock which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and in connection with the operation of which noisiness has been overcome.

Other and further objects reside in the various combinations, subcombinations and details of structure hereinafter described and claimed and in such other and further matters as will be understood by those skilled in this art or apparent from the following description.

In the accompanying drawing wherein we have illustrated one embodiment of the present invention and wherein like numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the various views of the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a ball cock embodying the present invention;

7 Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the structure of F ga Fig. 3 is a vertical medial sectional view taken through the ball cock body,'extension and outlet chamber housing; I

Fig. i is a vertical elevational view, with parts in section, of the shed head and stream regulator;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken through-the shed head of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modification of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral l0 indicates the usual tube through which water passes upwardly when a surrounding tank (not shown) in which the ball cock is positioned is being refilled afterfiushing of the closet bowl with which it is associated. As is customary in the art, the tube In is provided at its lower end with a fitting ll having a washer [2 between which and the rubber or non-metallic gasket IS the tube is secured in position with respect to the bottom of a tank, which is fragmentarily indicated by the numeral l4. As is also customary, the gasket l3 is seated up against the horizontal flange l5 of the cylindrical boss [6 in which the lower end of tube [0 is threadedly received.

At its upper end the tube Ill is provided with a cylindrical fitting I! which has a threaded aperture l8 communicating with which is a reduced smooth opening IS, the upper end of which is defined by a circular flange 20 which forms a seat for the inlet chamber control valve 2|.

The arrangement is such as to provide an inlet chamber22 within the ball cock body 23. In the lower end of this body the cylindrical fitting ll is threadedly engaged, as clearly appears in Fig. 3, the threaded opening 24 being provided in the body for this purpose. The valve 2| is provided with an annular groove of rectangular cross section as indicated at 25 in which is a suitable packing or sealing material 26 which may be provided with a lubricant so as to enable the valve 2|, when actuated, to slide smoothly within the opening 21 in the upper cylindrical end of the body 23. The valve 2| is provided with an aperture 28 in its upper portion which extends above the cock body and through such aperture the link 29 passes, by means of which the valve is actuated in response to rising and falling water level within the associated tank, as will be understood.

The cock'body Z3 is provided with a hollow or ,tubularextension 30 which may be unitarily formed with the cock body but which, as shown in Fig. 3, is integral, the extension having a threaded end which engages the interiorly threaded laterally extending cylindrical boss 31 formed on the cock body. The extension provides a curved passageway 32 which communicates with the inlet chamber 22 of the cock body at one end and with the outlet chamber 33 at the other end, this outlet chamber being formed Within the generally irusto-conical outlet housing 34.

The housing 34 is provided with a lateral substantially tangentially disposed portion 35 which is provided with a threaded opening communieating with chamber 33 and in which the threaded tangential extension 36 of the shed head 37 is received. The outlet housing 34 is provided with a vertical interiorly threaded opening 38 in which the silencing member 39 is threadedly engaged in such manner that the member can be advanced and retracted as desired in a manner and for a purpose which will be explained hereinafter.

The silencing member 39 terminates in a beveled frusto-conical surface 40, the central portion 4| of which is fiat. Centrally of such fiat portion a tapped opening 42 is provided for the reception of the threaded shank of the screw 43, the head 44 of which holds a leather or other flexible non-metallic resilient membrane 45 in a position such as that shown in Fig. 3. The

leather membrane 45 may be preshaped so that it normally assumes the position shown in Fig. 3, although this is not essential since a certain movement of the membrane is desirable for control purposes.

As will be best understood from Fig. 3, a frusto-conical annular flow control passage 45 is thus provided between the membrane and the adjacent beveled wall portion 41 of the outlet housing which is shaped substantially complementarily to the beveled surface 40. It will be clear that the size of the flow control passage 46 can be readily increased or decreased by appropriate rotational movement of the valve member 39 which is provided with a screwdriver-slot 48 on its end is connected into an opening 5| in the shed head in such manner as to cause water which passes into said refill tube to leave the shed head chamber 49 tangentially and at an angle of 90 to the direction in which water enters such chamber. The top of the shed head is provided with a central aperture 52, the purpose of which is hereafter explained. Depending from said shed head is the cylindrical extension 53 which has a bore of relatively large diameter. posed a stream regulator 54 made of wire gauze.

The structure of this stream regulator itself is not claimed herein as it forms the subject matter of application Serial No. 188,661 filed by Theodore E. Mueller on February 4, 1938. The stream regulator is composed of a plurality of radial walls 55 which define a plurality of substantially segmental passageways therebetween which taper from a maximum width at the periphery oi the regulator to substantially zero ad- Within this is dis.

DOSES.

jacent the radial center thereof the Walls 55 be- '75 ing preferably of such extent as to provide a ceii tral substantially round opening 56 therethrough. The regulator is maintained in shape and also in position by being confined within one or more turns 57 of its own wire which hold the regulator under compression so that it maintains itself within extension 53 against accidental displacement. 7

The link 29 previously referred to is pivoted at one end between the furcations -58 of the bifurcated extension 59 which rises from one side of the ball cock body 23. A suitable pivot pin 63 maintains the parts in assembled position. At its other end the link 29 is pivoted between the spaced link elements 6| by means of a rivet, pin or the like 62, between the other ends of which one end of a lever 63 is pivotally connected by a similar rivet. pin or the like 64. This lever 63 is fulcrumed to the bifurcated member 65 also extending from the cock body 23 and lies between the furcations 66 thereof, the parts being held in position by a suitable pivot pin or the like 61.

The other end of lever 63 is adapted to receive the stem 68 of an associated float or ball (not shown), the said stem passing through a tubular member 69 formed on the end of the said lever which is ordinarily provided with the raised rib 10 on each side thereof for strengthening pur- An element H, such as a pin, screw or the like, detachably secures stem 68 in position, set screw fashion.

It will be noted that water enters the shed head tangentially as a relatively small high velocity stream of water and that within the shed head this is converted into a relatively large low velocity stream. The means for doing this is simple structurally and occupies very little space, as will be observed. The ideal type of abovesuriace discharge of water is typified by the stream obtained in pouring from a pitcher, such being a smooth non-turbulent stream. In the shed head, as constructed, the high velocity stream from the ball cock is brought into the shed head tangentially. Centripetal force distributes it evenly about the centrally located outlet orifice, insuring uniform flow into the orifice from all sides. Centripetal force also reacts against the incoming stream, generating back pressure which aids in modifying the force of this stream. The stream regulator in the outlet orifice consolidates and smooths out the flow of water into the orifice, permitting it to be discharged in a non-turbulent quiet stream of low velocity. A stream regulator made of wire screen cloth has been found to give the most satisfactory results but we are not, of course, restricted solely thereto.

The refill tube orifice is at the side of the shed head and located slightly above the inlet orifice. If it were located on the same level there is a possibility that as the ball cock neared closing position, the refill tube would take out thewater as fast as it entered, stopping discharge into the tank and preventing complete closure of the ball cock, The small hole in the top of the shed head is an additional safeguard in this respect, causing the refill to stop flowing earlier in the cycle, and allowing more rapid shut-ofi. The angle at which the refill orifice is taken oil the shed head determines the amount of water it delivers, being maximum when the orifice is tangential in the opposite direction from the inlet orifice and minimum when it is tangential in'the same direction. For most installations'sufiicientrefill is obtained with the refill orifice arranged for minimum delivery, as shown in Fig. 5.

Attention should be called to the fact that While the discharge orifice of the shed head is relatively large, the effective orifice when computing the tendency to back-Syphon is equal to the cross sectional area of the inlet to the shed head and this is relatively small.

As stated previously, the use of the volume control in connection with the shed head is very desirable although not essential. The shedhead alone replacing the regular shed tube in a properly designed ball cock results in a combination that will not back-Syphon, and is no more noisy than the same ball cock with the regular immersed shed tube. However, the volume control permits controlling the ball cock to practically noiseless operation through the whole pressure range encountered in supplying water. The volume control may be considered as reinforcing the anti-back-syphonage action of the shed head since the leather washer acts to prevent back flow except in abnormally wide open position. However, the mechanism to prevent back flow is taken care of fully by the shed head alone when properly installed at the correct distance above the overflow level. Tests have shown that the head will not draw water through an air gap of more than of an inch at any vacuum obtainable. Therefore with a properly designed overflow a setting of the shed head so that the bottom of its orifice is of an inch above the top of the overflow should be ample, although if space permits there is no objection to increasing this distance.

It is thus to be understood that if we so desire we may omit the special silencing valve member 39 and the special housing 34 provided therefor. This is to be considered as one specific modification of the present invention, and in such case it is to be understood that water will flow directly from the ball cock body 23 to the shed head and that a suitable direct connection is provided for such purpose. As before, water will enter the shed head tangentially, and it is to be understood that this tangential control constitutes an important part of the present invention. This modification of the invention will be clear from Fig. 6 wherein the primed numerals indicate the correspondence with parts previously described.

Other and further modifications, omissions, additions or substitutions may be made without departing from the spirit or principle hereof, and all such modifications are to be deemed as a part of the present inventionso long as they fall within the terms of the subjoined claims which are definitive of the present invention. Insofar as sizes, proportions and materials are concerned, we intend to be in no way limited as such will be dependent upon a particular installation. If we so desire we may bring in the supply of water otherwise than through the tube ID as shown. Instead we may conduct water to inlet chamber 22 from the side or above rather than from below, and in such event no part of the structure (except, of course, the ball float) will be in contact with tank water. This arrangement absolutely prevents any possibility of back-flow or backsyphonage and is deemed to form a part of the present invention.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A device of the character described comprising a ball cock body having a valved inlet chamher, a tubular extension for said body terminating in a valved outlet housing the valve of which is adjustable within said housing and is provided with a flexible non-metallic membrane between which and the adjacent portion of the housing an annular frusto-conical flow control passage is defined, a shed head adapted to receive water tangentially from said housing, a cylindrica1 extension depending from said shed head, and a stream regulator disposed in said extension and maintaining itself therein under compression.

2. A device of the character described which comprises a ball cock body provided with a valved inlet chamber, an outlet housing provided with a silencing valve having a flexible non-metallic facing, the housing and valve cooperating to form an annular frusto-conical flow control passage bounded on one side by a metallic surface of said housing and on the other side by the flexible non-metallic valve facing, a circular shed head provided with an aperture in its upper surface and adapted to receive water tangentially from said housing, a refill tube extending tangentially from said shed head and a. cylindrical extension on said shed head in which a wire gauze stream regulator is positioned.

3. In a device of the character described, a circular apertured shed head of relatively large cross-sectional area and defining therewithin a shed head chamber, a cylindrical extension of smaller diameter than said shed head and forming an outlet therefor, means for introducing water tangentially into said shed head chamber, and means in said cylindrical extension for delivering water therefrom in a quiet non-turbulent condition, said shed head being also provided with a refill tube extending tangentially therefrom and at an angle of substantially from the direction of water delivery thereto.

4. In a. device of the character described, a circular shed head defining therewithin a shed head chamber, a cylindrical extension of smaller diameter than and extending downwardly from said shed head and defining therewithin an outlet, means for introducing water into said shed head tangentially and near the bottom thereof, and means in said cylindrical extension for discharging water through said outlet as a quiet non-turbulent stream, said first means including a ball cock body provided with a valved inlet chamber and a communicating outlet chamber in an associated outlet housing, a silencing valve in said housing constructed to form an adjustable,

flow control passage defined on one side by a beveled annular frusto-conical metallic portion of the housing and on the other side by a flexible non-metallic facing provided on said silencing valve which is adapted to be advanced toward and retracted from said beveled surface.

5. In a device of the character described, a cirv cular shed head defining therewithin a shed head chamber, a cylindrical extension of smaller diameter than and extending downwardly from said shed head and defining therewithin an outlet, means for introducing water into said shed head tangentially and near the bottom thereof, and means in said cylindrical extension for discharging water through said outlet as a quiet non-turbulent stream, said first means including an arrangement whereby the rate of flow of water to said shed head is controlled and noises due to the passage of such water simultaneously eliminated.

6. A ball cock adapted to deliver Water to the flush tank of a water closet above the level of the water in such tank and vin'a'quiet non-turbulent manner which i comprises a tube disposed within such-tank a'nd communicatingat its lower end with a waterisupplylinega ball'cock body on the upper end of such tube having an inlet chamber provided with an inlet valve, an outlet housing communicating with said inlet chamber and disposed somewhat above the latter, said housing having a beveled frustoconical metallic surface forming one side of a flow control passage, a silencing valve in said housing :and terminating in a flexible non-metallic membrane complementary to said beveled surface and constituting the other side of said flow control passage, -a housing extension for said housing, an'dashed head communicati'ng with 'said extension and receiving water tangentially therefrom,asaid shed head being provided in its upper surface with an aperture communicating with the interior of said shed head and in its lower surface with a cylindrical extension within which is disposed at seg- 10 mentally subdivided wire gauze stream regulator.

THEODORE E. MUELLER. ROBERT C. BOYD. 

